


Find A Place To Feel Good

by goddess_julie



Series: Adore You [5]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Boys In Love, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Mitch Marner Is A Saint, Polyamory, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23657629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddess_julie/pseuds/goddess_julie
Summary: Freddie comes down with a stomach bug, Mitch takes care of their man and Auston finds new reasons why he loves Mitch.  A fluffy little interlude with a touch of domesticity.
Relationships: Frederik Andersen/Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews
Series: Adore You [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664629
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	Find A Place To Feel Good

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a tiny little filler fic that my heart wanted to write about Mitch taking care of Freddie when he's sick. It's a domestic fluffy piece where Mitch takes care of his boys and Auston finds more ways to fall in love with his man. 
> 
> This does not reflect any real events, nor am I making any assumptions on the sexualities or preferences of the boys within. I just love these boys, love them together and write stories that make my heart happy.
> 
> If you see any mistakes, please let me know.

Auston wakes up to an empty bed. It’s only him alone wrapped up in their duvet, the sheets on either side of him cool to the touch. He opens one eye to look at the clock on the bedside table, after eleven in the morning, and groans as he rolls over to starfish on his back. He is certain that he’d gone to bed last night with Mitch, Freddie joining him when he got back from a night out with friends. It’s Saturday morning and rare for him to be the last still asleep.

He dozes for a little while until he can’t ignore the press of his bladder. Auston slides into a pair of jogging pants, his, and a worn t-shirt, Freddie’s, before he heads to the bathroom and then out into the living room. Mitch is sleeping soundly on the chair, he looks exhausted and … Auston looks on the couch, alone. The door to the spare room is closed, Auston quietly crosses the room and opens the door to see Freddie curled up in his old bed, he’s laying in the fetal position and his forehead is wrinkled as though he’s in pain even in sleep.

The click of the bedroom door startles Mitch awake. “Matty, no… Don’t wake him.” He jumps out of the chair and looks almost frantic.

Auston pulls him into his arms and hugs him tightly. “Babe, its okay. I just… was checking to see where you and Freddie were. Why’s he in the spare room?”

Mitch sags against Auston’s chest and lets him pull them both down onto the couch. He reaches up to kiss Auston tiredly, letting his boyfriend cradle him in his arms.

“He’s not feeling well,” Mitch finally says against Auston’s chest. He pulls away so that he’s looking up into Auston’s eyes and leans up to brush their noses together. “He woke up at like, 4? I heard him get up and then I heard him throwing up. So, I went to check on him after a while when he didn’t come back and he was just so sick. Pale and sweaty. He was burning up but he kept saying how cold he was.”

Auston is shocked, he hadn’t heard a single thing and didn’t understand why neither of them had come to get him. When he voices this thought, Mitch sighs.

“Fred didn’t even want me in there with him. Just kept telling me he’d be okay and to go back to bed. Like I’m going to fucking let him lay on the bathroom floor alone,” Mitch huffs in annoyance and rolls his eyes. “Fucking asshole.”

There are a billion reasons why Auston fell in love with Mitch Marner, he finds new ones on a daily basis, but one of his favourite things about the other man is his capacity to love and take care of the people he loves. How indignant he gets when someone tells him not to worry about them, that he doesn’t have to take care of them, that he wouldn’t use his last breath-taking care of the ones he loves hardest.

“So, we did that for a while, him puking and me just watching him and putting a cloth on his neck, wiping his face. I got him in the shower and then we came out here for a bit. He was restless and … well I finally got him into bed about 9 and he’s been asleep since.” 

“Babe, you should have woken me up,” Auston says as he presses a kiss to Mitch’s forehead.

“And keep you up? No, you need your sleep too.”

Auston runs his fingers through Mitch’s hair, stroking his scalp in calming movements. He feels Mitch slowly sink into him and relax completely. “You’re amazing, Mitchy. So fucking good to both of us.”

“You’d do the same for me,” Mitch answers sleepily. “So would Freddie.” 

Auston doesn’t move as Mitch falls asleep on him, he only opts to lay there with his boyfriend and let him get the sleep he’d missed the night before taking care of Freddie. He’s keeping an ear open for Freddie in his bedroom, to make sure that he doesn’t need anything when he wakes up. They spend the next few hours dozing and enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon on the couch.

They’re playing COD when the door to the spare bedroom opens and Freddie stumbles out. He looks miserable, withdrawn and ashen. His hair is sticking out at every direction, his eyes are dull and he is practically swimming in Auston’s college hockey hoodie with his name and number on the sleeve and a pair of jogging pants that are practically hanging off of his hips.

Before Mitch or Auston can move to get up, Freddie holds up a hand in warning as he covers his mouth with this other hand. When the nausea passes, he shakes his head and sits on the couch and curls up into himself as best he can. He is giving off a clear vibe for Mitch and Auston to stay away and Auston can feel the way Mitch is vibrating with the need to go to Freddie and pull him into his arms.

“You okay babe,” Auston asks softly. It’s clear that any volume is too much for Freddie who shrinks back and pulls his hood over his face. Mitch stands up and wraps Freddie in a blanket, tucking it around his shoulders and hips.

“No.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Auston asks, this time in a whisper.

Freddie’s answer is only a whiny moan.

Auston gets off of the couch heads to the kitchen. He opens a can of gingerale and sticks a straw in it as he grabs a chair from the kitchen and sits down next to the chair. He carefully peels the hood away from Freddie’s face. 

“Here babe, drink a bit”

“Don’t…”

“You need to drink something, you’re probably dehydrated,” Auston is firm and puts the straw right to Freddie’s mouth. When Freddie starts to drink Auston strokes his hair back from his forehead. “Slow, babe. Drink slowly.”

Mitch heads into the kitchen and starts to heat up some soup. It’s slow going but they manage to convince Freddie to eat almost the entire bowl of soup and most of the gingerale before he complains that he is full and exhausted. He’s nauseous and dizzy, which Auston retrieves a couple of Gravol for him and they sit with him until he’s dozing off.

“You two should go out,” Freddie says miserably as Mitch and Auston walk him to the spare bedroom. “It’s not fair for you two to be here when I’m sick.”

“We’re not going to leave you like this,” Mitch argues as he places a garbage next to the bed. 

“But listen,” Freddie says. He lets Auston tuck him in and press a kiss to his temple followed by Mitch. “I’m going to just be in here sleeping. You’ll be out there being loud as fuck because you don’t know how to be anything else…”

Auston feel something in his stomach loosen at Freddie’s joke. A half smile covers Freddie’s lips and Auston smiles along side him and pulls Mitch close.

“So, go out, let me fucking sleep in peace and then maybe tomorrow whatever this fucking demon plague is will be gone.”

“Are you sure?” Mitch asks. Auston agrees with Freddie, when he’s sick like this, he just wants to be alone. Wants to be able to crawl under his covers, have a quiet room, quiet apartment and sleep. He knows that if he was sick and Freddie and Mitch were in the living room enjoying themselves, he’d only want to go out and join them or tell them to fuck off so he could be sick and miserable alone.

“Go the fuck out Mitch,” Freddie moans. “Take your hot boyfriend out on a date.”

Mitch shrugs. “The hot one is sick right now. I can’t.”

Auston gasps as Freddie bursts into surprised laughter which soon after has him groaning as he curls into himself and presses his face into the pillow beneath his head. Mitch beams at the reaction he’s elicited from both of his boyfriends. They leave bottles of Tylenol and Gravol on the night stand in case Freddie needs them later and doesn’t have to get up for it. They add a fresh glass of water and make sure that Freddie’s phone is there and charging.

“Call us if you need anything,” is the last thing Auston says as they slide out of the room. He and Mitch share a lengthy kiss, both men holding onto each other tightly. When they break Auston traces the frown on Mitch’s lips.

“I just hate seeing him sick,” Mitch answers Auston’s unasked question gently.

“It’s just a stomach bug,” Auston reasons. “He’s already looking better than he did when I saw him his morning.”

“I know.” Mitch tugs Auston towards their bedroom to get ready to go out. “So…”

Auston pauses at the door to their bedroom and looks back at the door to Freddie’s room. He cocks his head to the side and closes his eyes just for a moment. When he opens his eyes again, he looks at Mitch who hasn’t moved from where he’s sat on the edge of the bed. They share a comfortable silence, only broken when Auston crosses the room and sits beside Mitch and pulls him into a tight embrace. 

“You wanna just go downstairs, get something to eat and then come back up.”

“We can be quiet,” Mitch says with an exaggerated pout. They break into giggles as Mitch presses his lips against Auston’s ear in a gentle kiss. “I don’t want to go far.”

“Me neither,” Auston admits softly. 

There is an Italian restaurant that is on the main floor of their condo that they’ve been to a number of times. It’s good food and close enough that they can get out of the apartment when they need to, without having to go far.

“Downstairs?” Mitch looks up from where his head is resting on Auston’s chest. He beams when his boyfriend nods.

“But we’ll eat down there, get out for a bit and then come back up.”

“Put a movie on and just relax out on the couch until he needs us.” Mitch sighs against Auston’s mouth as he kisses him hungrily. 

Once they’re ready to go, wallets in their pockets and Auston has his condo keys, Mitch takes a moment to look in on Freddie who is snoring softly in the same position they’d tucked him into the bed in. The conversation dinner is surprisingly light, as Auston and Mitch take the opportunity to catch up and just enjoy each other’s company.

While neither of them forgets the man that is currently sick upstairs, they connect on a level that they haven’t in quite some time. All Mitch can see and hear is Auston, he focuses on his boyfriend’s eyes as he tells a funny story about work, the way his lips form words and smiles as he responds to a story that Mitch tells from when he’d had lunch with Willy earlier that week.

They pause between bites of foods and silences in their conversation to lean together and share lingering kisses. Mitch lets himself get lost in Auston’s mouth, licking playfully against Auston’s tongue and sucking his lower lip between his teeth to tug.

By the time their dessert plates have been cleared, Auston rests his forehead against Mitch’s and looks down at his watch. Almost two hours have passed with neither of them realizing it. Auston grins when he pulls Mitch in for another kiss.

“I’ve missed you so much, Mouse,” he whispers into Mitch’s mouth.

“Me too babe,” Mitch scratches the back of Auston’s neck where his hand is resting. “God, so much.”

Auston nudges Mitch’s nose with his own. “What are you doing Wednesday night?” Mitch offers a shrug as he hands his credit card to the waiter who has presented them with their bill. “Freddie said something about going axe throwing with Ceci and Mo, so I thought maybe we could do something.”

“Date night?” Mitch’s grin takes up his whole face and it makes Auston’s heart race.

“Yeah.”

“Of course, babe.”

Mitch pulls Auston in the opposite direction of the elevators to their condo when they leave the restaurant. At Auston’s raised eyebrow, Mitch rolls his eyes. 

“We’re just going to go to Circle K next door. We need Gatorade for when Freddie can stomach it. He’s going to be so dehydrated. And I want some fucking ice cream.”

It’s as Saturday Night Live is starting that they hear any movement coming from the spare bedroom. Mitch is laying down at one end of the couch while Auston is at the other, their feet resting on each other’s laps. The lights are out and they’ve been talking quietly through the night as they’ve been flicking between Sportsnet and TSN throughout the night. The glow of the television is illuminating their faces as they’ve enjoyed a lazy Saturday night in. 

There has been no movement or sound coming from the spare bedroom all night and as Freddie opens the door, they can see the surprise on his face when he spots them on the couch.

“What time is it?” Freddie asks groggily. He runs his fingers through his hair and walks out to stand behind the couch.

“Eleven-forty,” Auston answers. He covers Freddie’s hand with his own and smiles as their fingers tangle together.

“Have you been here the whole time?”

Freddie looks soft and fragile in this light, the flash of the TV highlighting his pale colour and the bed head from where he’d slept on one side all night.”

“We can be fucking quiet,” Mitch echoes his words from earlier. He kicks Auston who laughs as he rolls his eyes at him fondly. “Fuck you, we can.”

A genuine yet tired smile graces Freddie’s lips as he leans down over the back of the couch to press a kiss to Mitch’s head. Mitch makes grabby hands for Freddie to join him and pouts when he shakes his head.

“Let me go to the bathroom first.”

“There’s Gatorade in the fridge,” Auston calls as he shifts to sit up against the arm of the couch. Once Freddie has finished in the bathroom, they watch him go into the kitchen and grab a bottle of Gatorade with a sleeve of crackers. There is not a question of where Freddie is going to sit when he joins them in the living room. Mitch has already made room so that Freddie could crawl in between his legs and snuggle comfortably against his chest. They’ve both got their feet on Auston’s lap as he leans across to press a kiss to the corner of Freddie’s mouth. 

A very short period of time passes before Freddie turns so that he can bury his face in Mitch’s chest. He looks up and catches the intense look Mitch is giving him.

“How did you sleep?” Mitch asks. He’s running his fingers through Freddie’s hair, stroking his scalp comfortably.

Freddie only shrugs against Mitch’s chest.

“Do you need anything?”

This time Freddie answers. “You. Matts. I’m glad you stayed. That you’re both here right now.”

He gets a wide, fond grin from Mitch. Auston only pinches his foot playfully.

“You’re so gross.” The smile on his face takes any heat out of Auston’s words.

“Can we go to bed,” Freddie says into Mitch’s chest.

Auston is about to agree when Mitch shakes his head. “No.”

“NO?”

“Drink your Gatorade first babe. You need to rehydrate. We’ll get you some more gravol and then we can go to bed.”

Mitch is adamant that Freddie drinks the whole bottle of Gatorade, but doesn’t chug it. He’s going to drink it nice and slow so that it doesn’t overwhelm his body and he starts to get sick again. Once he’s satisfied, Mitch sends Auston and Freddie ahead to get ready for bed and that he’ll be in to join them in a minute.

Mitch locks up and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. When he enters the bedroom, it’s to Auston spooning Freddie, holding him tight to his chest with his arms wrapped around him. Auston is whispering into Freddie’s ear as Freddie’s eyes flutter shut with sleep. Smiling, Mitch crosses the room and slips into bed in front of Freddie. He presses a soft kiss to Freddie’s lips, pulling away to follow suit with Auston. By the time Mitch has settled in and is comfortable, Freddie is already snoring softly at his side.

He spends a few moments studying Freddie’s face, from the line of his jaw and the stubble that had grown in from the past day without shaving it to the slope of his nose that Mitch can’t help but lean in to kiss softly. With a light touch, Mitch traces the lines from Freddie’s forehead and down to his lips that are bowed just slightly in sleep. Auston catches his gaze over Freddie and Mitch blushes at the expression he sees in his boyfriend’s face.

“What?” Mitch asks as he avoids Auston’s gaze.

“You.” 

“Shut up,” Mitch smiles into his pillow. His eyes flicker up and he rolls his eyes, embarrassed. “Seriously, shut UP!”

“I love you Mouse,” Auston says softly. He’s careful to not wake Freddie and reaches over to cover Mitch’s hand with his own. They lace their fingers together over Freddie’s hip and Auston squeezes as much love as he can into it. “And I love how much you love.”

“I love you too, Aus.”

Finis 


End file.
